AS Roma lifted the gloom surrounding the Stadio Olimpico by claiming their first win of the season at the fourth attempt in a 3-0 home success over Reggina on Saturday.
Cristian Panucci opened the scoring at the end of the first half and a rocket from Alberto Aquilani doubled the advantage soon after the break before substitute Simone Perrotta struck the third with the last kick of the match.
Roma had failed to win in their first three games this season, picking up one point in their two previous Serie A matches and losing embarrassingly 2-1 at home to debutant Romanians Cluj in the Champions League.
PHOTO: EPA
But despite still missing captain Francesco Totti and center-backs Philippe Mexes and Juan from their starting line-up, Roma showed signs that they are starting to rediscover the form that has seen them finish runners-up in the last two seasons.
“I’m happy because we needed this victory because the beginning of the season wasn’t positive,” Panucci said. “This is what the team’s response should have been and it was and we’re very happy.”
“There is a lot of pressure at Roma, we lost a league match and one in the Champions League but people acted like we’d thrown away three years of work,” he said.
“What was said was annoying but that’s part of the game, we just had to keep quiet and keep working because he hadn’t yet solved our problems. Now we’re off and running, this win will boost our morale,” Panucci said.
Roma typically played plenty of attractive soccer but their Achilles heel was their inability to finish off their good approach work.
That problem was evident on 32 minutes when neat interplay between Aquilani and Rodrigo Taddei saw the former play Jeremy Menez into the box.
But with only goalkeeper Andrea Campagnolo to beat, he opted to square the ball but no-one had burst into the six-yard box so the chance went begging.
Roma did get the lead their domination deserved in first half stoppage time but only after a mix-up in the Reggina box.
Daniele De Rossi fired a free-kick into the area and a shanked clearance fell to Taddei leaving him the simple task of squaring to an unmarked Panucci to tap home.
And just six minutes after the restart Aquilani was allowed to stride forward until he unleashed an unstoppable left-foot shot from just inside the Reggina area. Perrotta slotted home a third with the final kick of the match.
In the day’s other game Catania ended Atalanta’s 100 percent start with a 1-0 victory in Sicily.
Michele Paolucci scored the only goal of the game on 59 minutes but fingers will be pointed at Atalanta goalkeeper Ferdinando Coppola for his mistake.
Just before the hour mark Giuseppe Mascara released Paolucci but Coppola should never have been beaten at his near post by the striker’s shot.
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